good morning. from behind bars, a defiant jerry sandusky releases a new message from jail. >> in my heart i know i did not do these alleged disgusting acts. >> this with his sentencing now just hours away. we're live at the courthouse. the bounce. one of the first nationwide polls since the debate shows mitt romney now leading president obama as the president releases a new ad starring, guess what? >> big, yellow, a menace to our economy. mitt romney knows it's not wall street you have to worry about. it's it's sesame street. >> this morning john mccain on the state of the race with the

election exactly four weeks away. and skin and bones. matthew mcconaughey goes from this to this. the story behind the actor's startling weight loss today, tuesday, october 9th, 2012. from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm savannah guthrie, and you are? >> i'm matt lauer. >> we're so happy to have you here. >> good to be back. it's been a week. >> i actually requested reunited to get us all in the mood. >> you went right to peaches and herb. >> old school. ♪ reunited >> haven't heard that one in a while. thank you, appreciate it. >> welcome back. >> seems like a busy week. >> very happy to have you back. hard to talk politics with peaches and herbs is playing. >> a lot has happened.

>> or big bird coming front and center in the presidential campaign. john mccain is on in a couple of minutes talking about a lot of subjects. the professionals are in the house as well. also a group of high school students suspended for taking energy mints. now, staffers first thought they were taking illegal drugs. turned out they were mints packed though with caffein. they are legal, so why is the school standing by the punishment? we're going to tell you and talk exclusively to two of the boys now fighting to clear their names. >> all right. we'll have new details this morning on the search for a 10-year-old colorado girl. she vanished on her way to school last friday, and her backpack was found over the weekend. we'll get the latest on the case. and i mentioned the professionals are here. coming up they will weigh in on two disturbing moments in the sports world over the weekend. i think you probably all saw those, and a respected guidance counsellor here in new york who was fired because of some revealing modeling photos she took nearly 20 years ago. if you apply this rule all over the place. >> you and i would be --

>> yeah. >> we may be out of a job. >> we'll get started this morning with the sentencing of former penn state football football coach jerry sandusky and the recorded message he released last night. nbc's michael isikoff is at the courthouse this morning. michael, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. jerry sandusky, convicted of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, never testified during his trial, but he's got a lot to say now, and we're expecting to hear more this morning when he's escorted back into this courthouse to hear a judge deliver his sentence. >> they can take away my life. they can make me out as a monster. they can treat me as a monster, but they can't take away my heart. >> reporter: a statement recorded by a penn state radio station and arranged by his lawyer, jerry sandusky spoke out from jail on the eve of today's sentencing. >> in my heart i know i did not do these alleged disgusting acts. my wife has been my only sex partner, and that was after marriage. our love continues >> reporter: former penn state

defensive coach blamed a well-orchestrated conspiracy for his conviction and lashed out at his accusers for what he called the worst loss of his life. >> the accusers were products of many more people and experiences than me. look at their confidantes and their honesty. think how easy it was to turn on me given the information, attention and potential perks. >> reporter: sandusky met his victims through the second mile, a charity for troubled youth. eight victims testified during sandusky's trial, describing repeated acts of sexual abuse in the school's shower, even in his basement. >> i never labeled or put down them or their families. i tried and i cared, then asked for the same. please realize all came to the second mile because of issues. some of those may remain. >> reporter: in what promises to be an emotional hearing today, at least three of sandusky's victims are expected to read their own statement. >> well, he's viewing this as his last opportunity to directly confront mr. sandusky. now i think he wants to let

mr. sandusky know that he's angry, and he doesn't forgive him. >> my client is still haunted by what has been done to him by mr. sandusky. he will recall the pain, the anguish and the tears that it has caused him. >> reporter: regardless of what sentence he gets, sandusky, 68, says he and his wife dottie will continue to fight for justice. >> people need to be portrayed for who they really are. we've not been complainers, and we couldn't have kids we adopted. when we didn't have time to prepare for a trial, we still gave it our best. we will fight for another chance. we have given many second chances, and now we'll ask for one. >> reporter: now sandusky is potentially facing more than 400 years in prison. legal experts say he's likely to receive a lot less than that but more than enough to ensure that he spends the rest of his life behind bars. savannah? is there michael isikoff at the courthouse this morning, thank you. five minutes after the hour. here's matt. >> all right, savannah, to the presidential race and a new poll showing mitt romney now leading

president obama. we'll talk about that with senator john mccain in just a couple of minutes, but first nbc's peter alexander is on the campaign trail in newport news, virginia. peter, good morning. >> reporter: matt, good morning to you. as you noted, this race appears to be tightening now with exactly four weeks to go, and on monday mitt romney, trying to present himself as a plausible commander in chief, attacked the president saying that the middle east has become a more dangerous place than when president obama took office. the latest pit stop in president obama's effort to reach his fund-raising goal of $1 billion, san francisco. >> we cannot afford to be complacent, and we cannot afford to be cynical. we've got to look back at the progress we've made, and that should give us confidence, but we have to understand that we've got a lot more to do. >> reporter: in virginia, a reinvigorated mitt romney may as we will have been singing in the rain, a downpour. >> people wonder why it is i'm so confident we're going to win. i'm confident because i see you

here on a day like this. this is unbelievable. thank you so much! >> reporter: romney may have new reason for new confidence, passing out mcdonald's to reporters on his plane and greeting two elementary school students. two national polls show a volatile race after last week's lobsided debate. in the latest pew poll the republican nominee leads the president by four points among likely voters. last month the same poll showed romney trailing by eight points. still, a new gallup poll shows mr. obama five points ahead among registered voters, regaining ground after last week's encouraging jobs report. looking to beef up his foreign policy credentials ahead of the final stretch, romney accused the president of weak leadership in the middle east. failing to capitalize on the arab spring uprisings and delivering the harshest response yet on the administration's response to the deadly attacks in libya. >> it is our responsibility and the responsibility of the president to use america's greatest power to shape history, not to lead from behind, leaving

our destiny at the mercy of events. >> reporter: calling for a change of course, romney offered few new policy details, citing syria's civil war, romney saying he would support our allies arming rebels there. former secretary of state madeleine albright gave the obama campaign's rebuttal. >> i'm a professor. if one of my students turned it in they'd get a "c" because he gave absolutely no specifics. >> it's getting close here in michigan. can you help push us over the top. >> reporter: ahead of this week's vice presidential debate on monday paul ryan attacked what he considered the democrat strategy. >> it seems pretty clear that their new strategy is basically just call us liars, to descend down into a mud pit and hopefully, with enough mudslinging back and forth and distortion, people will get demoralized and then they can win by default. >> reporter: and to give you a sense of what some may describe as the absurd back and forth in this election season, take a look at this. this is a new ad just out this morning from the obama campaign.

it mocks mitt romney's plan to eliminate federal subsidies for public broadcasting, sarcastically calling big bird a, quote, menace to our economy, matt, on the level of bernie madoff. >> all right. peter alexander in virginia this morning. peter, thank you very much. republican senator john mccain was the gop candidate for president back in 2008. senator, always good to see you. thanks for coming on. >> thanks, matt. >> i'm going to get to that campaign ad in a second, but when you ran for president four years ago, no one questioned your expertise or knowledge on foreign policy. i mean, it was considered one of your strengths. i'd like you to compare your knowledge on foreign policy with mitt romney's. how do you think he stacks up? >> i think he stacks up very well because he has the same instincts and principles and view of america's role that ronald reagan did that came to the presidency after being governor of the state of

california. mitt understands the need for american leadership. he understands that this president is leading from behind. this president says that wars in the middle east are receding, that the tide of war is receding. well, what's receding in the middle east is american leadership. when you look at afghanistan, iraq, the confrontation with iran, the looming -- the situation in libya where they sent out the -- i mean, on and on, calling that a terrorist attack simulated by a video, crazy. >> but in his speech he said things like we need to be bold and decisive. he said what you said that, we're leading from behind, but that's pretty standard material for a speech like this. did he offer specifics? did he tell voters why he is going to be a game-changer when it comes to foreign policy? >> i'm confident that he did, because, again, america's role in the world has been one of retreat and disarray. >> can you give me an example.

>> sure, sure, iraq. we should have left a residual force there, and it's now al qaeda is back returning and resurgence is there. in afghanistan, mitt romney would have listened to the advice of our military leaders. instead, he decided on his own to withdraw early and often, and we are now in a very serious situation there. as far as israel and palestinians concerned, no progress whatsoever because barack obama called for preconditions in a settlement freeze by the israelis, and in syria, the president until recently wouldn't even speak up for the people who are -- who are fighting and dying in syria under bashar assad. >> let's talk about the economy now and this new ad that's come out from the obama campaign. peter mentioned it. let me play it for you this morning. i'd love your reaction. here it is. >> i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. >> bernie madoff, ken lay,

dennis dozenlousky, criminals, gluttons of greed and the evil genius who toerd over them. one man has the guts to speak his name. >> big bird. >> big bird. >> big bird. >> it's me, big bird. >> big, yellow, a menace to our economy. mitt romney knows it's not wall street you have to worry about, it's sesame street. >> i'm going to stop the subsidy to pbs. >> mitt romney, taking on our enemies no matter where they nest. >> i'm not even sure what the question is, senator, but i'm just -- this is the kind of ad that just does get attention, so what's your reaction to it? >> oh, i think it probably gets attention, but, again, it may show a paucity of ideas and ways to criticize mitt romney. the fact is that the economy is still in very bad shape, and obviously the american people are still in very difficult conditions, and the -- and the one thing that president obama

can't run on is his record, and so big bird i guess is a fun thing to talk about. i love big bird. i'm for an earmark for big bird. >> i know you are. i know you are. i'm on the record for that. the new poll that shows mitt romney taking the lead, 49% to 45%, it's a complete reversal from about two weeks ago. as the guy who was here last time around four years ago, how does he close the deal? what advice would you give him, and i heard you the other day, he hasn't asked, but what advice would you give mitt romney that you wish you had gotten at this stage four years ago? >> i wish hi been a better candidate. i think mitt has got to understand that the president is an excellent debater. he'll be much stronger in the next debate. i think that it's obvious this whole attack -- matt, i've never seen anything like this continuous attacks, calling mitt romney a liar. that's not -- that's not an

elevated debate. they may outline and highlight their differences, but just calling people a liar i think is not appropriate for a presidential campaign, but mitt also has to stick to message. i'm sure he will, and i am confident that he will continue to do well, but do not underestimate president obama in the next election, i mean, in the next debate. >> won't be there for the next election, we would imagine. anyway. >> no, no, no. the next debate. >> senator john mccain, always good to have you here, sir. thanks for your time. >> thanks for having me on. >> all right. 14 after the hour. here's savannah. all right, matt. thanks. police are expanding the search this morning for a 10-year-old colorado girl who disappeared last week on her way to school. nbc's miguel almaguer is live with more on the investigation. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. as the search for jessica ridgeway enters its fifth day, police have no suspects or persons of interest, but they did find the 10-year-old's backpack which is now being

tested as a potential piece of forensic evidence. more than 100 members of law enforcement are searching for jessica ridgeway, a search that has expanded into neighborhoods, open fields and bodies of water near her home. on sunday jessica's backpack was found about six miles from the missing 10-year-old's house. it's now being examined by the colorado bureau of investigation. >> they are analyzing that, along with some dna samples that we took from the family. >> reporter: police say the fifth grader was last seen while walking to school friday morning. >> we do have some witness information that really makes us believe at 8:30 she was on her way to school and that she did not make it. >> reporter: jessica's school is about a third of a mile from her home. police say her mother, who works overnight, was home sleeping when the school left a message to say jessica had not arrived on campus. jessica's mother reported her missing when she woke up. eight hours after the little girl was last seen on her way to

school. >> it's just a real horrible situation. i can't believe something like this would happen so close to home. >> reporter: now a shocked and frightened community has rallied to help in any way it can. >> i just can't fathom losing a child, and it's -- it's been devastating for our families the last three days. went out, volunteered and searched. >> reporter: but police are not asking for any more volunteers, only for help in distributing these fliers and for people to keep their eyes open for little jessica. jessica's family has not spoken publicly about this case. police say they are separated, her father living in missouri, her mother living here just outside of denver. savannah? >> all right, miguel almaguer, thank you. >> let's go over to the news desk. a lot of other stories making headlines. natalie is there with those. natalie, good morning. >> good morning, matt and savannah. good morning, everyone. a new threat from north korea, a statement today from the country's defense commission declares that the u.s. mainland is now within range of north

korean missiles. this comes on the heels of south korea's announcement that the u.s. has allowed seoul to have longer range missiles capable of striking all of north korea. the death toll in a national meningitis outbreak is rising. monday night a nashville hospital announced the death of a patient from a rare but lethal form of meningitis linked to steroid injections given for back pain. if confirmed by the cdc, it will bring the total toll to nine. health officials now say as many as 13,000 people may have been injected with those contaminated drugs. we'll have more on this coming up. new hope for some 5 million americans suffering from alzheimer's as an experimental drug shows promise in slowing the disease's progression, and while the eli lilly drug is not a cure, researchers say it's the first time any treatment has actually slowed dementia in affected patients. a new jersey man has been charged in connection with that massive wedding brawl at a philadelphia hotel.

the fight between two wedding parties was caught on tape early sunday morning. a 57-year-old was found dead of a fatal heart attack outside the reception soon after. 26-year-old matthew sostka is being charged with aggravated and simple vault. more arrests are expected and an investigation is under way. a professional tennis referee charged with her husband's murder has passed a lie detector test in which she denied beating him to death with a coffee mug. the 70-year-old's legal team sent the results to a district attorney in a bid to have the charges against her dismissed. a former cincinnati bengals cheerleader has admitted to having sexual relations with a teen student while a high school english teacher. 27-year-old sarah jones entered a guilty plea as part of an agreement that had felony charges against her dropped sparing her jail time. instead, jones will have to report to a probation officer and can never apply for a teaching job again, but she will not have to register as a sex

offender. jones left court monday together with a former student who is now 18 years old. nasa's curiosity rover has been distracted from its scooping mission on mars by a mysterious shiny object. curiosity found the bright object sitting on the ground, and even though officials suspect it is a piece of the rover itself, they are not doing any more scooping until they figure out what exactly it is. and fearless felix baumgardner proves his mettle. the 33-year-old daredevil is set to sky dive 23 miles above earth and plummet. if successful he will be the first human to ever break the sound barrier outside of an aircraft. the former austrian paratrooper has trained for this day for five years. guys, he even had to overcome claustrophobia in that highly

pressurized suits. scientists don't really know what effect that will have on the body when he breaks through the sound barrier. >> what do you have for breakfast if you're not going to do that? >> not much. >> i know what effect it will have on the body if that chute doesn't open. he'll look like that little silver object we saw on the surface -- >> it's an amazing trick, but i can only do it once. >> all right, natalie. thank you very much. mr. roker, how are you, bud? >> no. let's see what's going on as far as your weather is concerned. wow, talk about changing temperatures. much low normal temperatures in the plains, also here in the east. out west we're going to be looking at warmer than unusual conditions. look at some of the temperature differences. 56 in boston, 9 degrees below average. charlotte 10 degrees below average, but then as we head out west temperatures way above average, anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees through southern texas

and on into the southwest. that's what's going on a >> rain showers 32 wind down across the metro area. high temperatures in the upper fifties to low 60s. a little bit warmer >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> all right, al, thank you. high school students suspended for taking legal mints loaded with caffein. was that fair? we'll talk to them exclusively. and matthew mcconaughey's drastic appearance has a lot of people talking, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

january, just ahead, today's professionals on two ugly incidents in the world of sports that highlights today's loss of civility in today's society >> did you hear about jantstenn anniston's weight gain? she's gained four carats from that rock. cammies, jammies, toga tops, yoga tops, and va va voom tops! with 1/4 moisturizers and vitamins e and f, dove go sleeveless deodorant makes underarms soft and smooth january, just ahead, today's in just five days. effective protection. beautiful result. try new soothing chamomile, clinically proven to calm shaving irritation. [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, rich dark chocolate, toasted oats. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious.

[ female announcer ] with depression, simple pleasures can simply hurt. the sadness, anxiety, the loss of interest. the aches and pains and fatigue. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta.

dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. simple pleasures shouldn't hurt. talk to your doctor about cymbalta. depression hurts. cymbalta can help. >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. it is all about the o's. the orioles scratched out a 3-2 win last night. game 3 tomorrow night in new york, first pitch at 7:30. if the orioles a dance to the championship series, tickets will go on sale to the public

today. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> very busy ride out there. dealing with the west side accident at the inner loop on the northwest corner of reisterstown road. ba of developing because of it. crawling from reisterstown road all the way to edmondson. southbound 715 back up out of the owings mills area. northbound 83 past the beltway, 1 lane closed with an accident. cape st. claire road at walnut ridge drive, accident location. we will show you what looks like in the area of old court road. these delays are going to get worse. under the traffic backed up there. southbound 95 out of the northeast, looking for delays

there. >> rain was likely a factor in the accident. tapered off around the metro area. most of the ring from annapolis all the way to cecil county. that is where the rain is going. 48 in 60, 47 in randallstown. highs in the upper 50s. we will be mostly cloudy tomorrow

>> e.t., phone home. >> e.t., phone home. e.d., phone home. >> it is one of the most beloved movies ever, and now e.t. is celebrating its 3th anniversary. coming up, we're going to chat with that little boy who is now a father himself. he's the one who played the alien's human buddy elliot, and there he is right there. loved that movie. 7:30 now on a tuesday morning, october 9th, 2012. i'm matt lauer alongside savannah guthrie. >> keep playing the music. don't you love that theme music. my 9-year-old self is very excited about that interview. also ahead, hollywood, a split

surprising a lot of people, danny devito and rhea perlman separating after 30 years of marriage. more on that story. and today's professionals tackle some hot topics, among them, the controversial firing of a guidance counsellor here in new york city because of the modeling photos she took 17 years ago. we'll talk about that, but let's start this half hour with a caffein controversy at a high school out in illinois. four students suspended for consuming so-called energy mints, and their families are not at all happy. we'll talk to two of those students exclusively in a moment, but first nbc's kevin tibbles has their story. kevin, good morning. >> reporter: hey, matt. well, the students from the pekin high school here in illinois say the suspensions will likely affect their grade and future education, and they say the mints they ate are perfectly legal. it all started when 17-year-old jake walker took these to school. >> i don't feel that i should lose my education over a little

mint. >> reporter: they are caffein-in mints, perfectly legal, but to some school officials in pekin illinois they looked like drugs. jake and three of his friends were suspended for eating the mints during lunch. >> this is 2012, and caffein is caffein. i drink soda. jake drinks soda. i didn't see anything wrong with a caffein pill. >> reporter: school officials issued this statement. pekin community high school approaches consumption of mood-altering substances very seriously given both the health risks at issue and a mission to keep both illegal and legal drugs and substances out of the school. >> i see people bringing in energy drinks and coffee to school every day, so i thought, hey, it's healthier. why not dry to bring it in and maybe get a little bit more energy. >> reporter: here's a caffein breakdown. a 16-ounce cup of coffee averages 100 milligrams of caffein. soft drinks contain anywhere

from 35 to 55 milligrams in a 12-ounce serving. energy drinks have from 76 to 207 milligrams per serving, and caffein mints pack anywhere from 85 to 101 milligrams of caffein per mint. >> if you want to get a lot of caffein, it's hard to do with a cup of coffee or an energy drink. you'll get bloated and too full after two or three drinks and stop. with mints, it's very easy to overdose because you just keep on popping them. >> reporter: but jake and his friends missed homecoming as a result of their predicament and aren't very happy about it. >> instead of going to homecoming, i was at home alone doing nothing and very upset. >> reporter: jake says he and the other students are likely to be back in school later this week, but this case raises an important question for students, parents and educators alike. what sort of impact is caffein, whether it's in a drink or a mint or a candy having on our

kids? matt? >> all right, kevin. thank you very much. eric mcmichael and bradley malcolm were two of the students suspended here with brad's dad jason and bradley's mom marcy. >> good morning. >> guys, hang on. you get a call from the school. your sons are in possession of controlled substances. you couldn't have thought this was about a mint. >> exactly. >> what was your worst fear? >> my worst fear was actually something bad? >> like? >> pot, meth, coke, i mean, any of the above. >> we were just worried that this is the moment, oh, my gosh, there's the moment where your child is -- every moments you as parents dread. >> and then you find out that the substance is a caffein energy mint for lack of a better expression. now give me your feeling. >> at that point they sent eric home from school. at that point i thought the school was just being cautious. i'm all for that.

he said he wanted to get the product tested to verify it's not an illegal drug and that it is what they said it was so i think the suspension was in the cards at that point. >> mom, what did you think? >> when i got the call after they told me it was a mint, that he would continue on with his three-day suspension and not allowed to go to homecoming, i was floored. it's a mint. these kids bring coffee into the school. >> so guys, you know, with you incredulous when you were told you were actually being sent home? did you think this would all be cleared up and there would be no harm, no foul? >> yeah. i thought i was going to come back to school on like friday. >> and yet you still haven't gone back to school, have you? >> right. >> here's what the school superintendent said in a statement. school representatives eventually learned that the pills contained high doses of caffein. after the fact, it was determined that a single pill contained over 200% of the amount of caffein in a no-doz tablet and almost three times the amount of caffein as found in an entire can of red bull sports drink. although the pills were described by some of the

students as energy mints, all the students at issue acknowledged that they were either told or understood before the distribution or consuming about the nature and the effect of the pills. the second part was important. were you told and were you warned about this? >> were you told it was a mint or a canned? >> a mint. >> but were you told that it also had this extremely high dose of caffein and that it was intended to be a stimulant? >> all i know is that it was just an energy drink in a mint form. >> energy strike in a mint form is what he was told it was. >> let me play a devil's advocate parent for a second. if my child is in this school and one of your sons gives him one of these energy mints and he has a bad reaction to it, might i not question the school and say why didn't you prevent this from happening? >> i agree. one of the questions i asked the dean was are these energy mints illegal? are they not allowed in school since they do allow the red bull and monster and actually serve coffee at the school.

it's available to the students. his reaction was no. the only reason they are in trouble or suspended is the product was unmarked. >> so if it had been in some packaging that clearly identified what it was and it was in fact that product, you wouldn't be sitting here. you guys would be back in school. >> that would be my understanding. >> and he would have went to homecoming. >> no school yesterday, columbus day holiday. is this an excused day off? >> probably not. >> the school just called and said you're suspended for longer now. will you be back in school tomorrow? >> yes. >> bygones bygones, or do you still have some lingering issues over this? >> i'm wanting the record cleared. this is going to affect them for the rest of their lives. this will be on their high school transcript, could affect college, future jobs, reputations down the tubes so i want this wiped off their records. >> we'll follow up with the school and see if that happens. >> appreciate you all being

here. >> i was kidding about being suspended further. jasyc thank you. what do you think. should they have been suspended? head to today.com to weigh in on this subject. let's get a check of the weather now from al. >> thanks very much. all of my friends here hanging out. a little on the wet side. turning 60, you look fantastic. let's see what we've got temperature-wise for you as we head to october. the rest of october below normal temperatures from the great lakes to the gulf coast. out west, the western third of the country above normal conditions. it will be wetter than usual. along the east coast and back into the great lakes, drier than normal pacific northwest. for today we do have the rain in the northeast and also along a front and back through the great lakes. we'll bring you some more rain and snow showers in northern parts of minnesota. 68 and sunshine in seattle. that's what's going on a

>> waking up to the wet weather. most of that should clear out. mostly cloudy skies. >> get that weather any time you need it. go to the weather channel on cable, weather.com online and support the new york fire fighters burn center foundation. all right, thanks so much. now let's head back inside to matt. >> all right, al. thank you very much. still ahead, the replacement referee behind the most controversial call of the year. does he stand by it? we'll ask him in a live interview. and a first look at jennifer anniston's huge engagement ring, but first, these messages. i don't have time for the flu.

that's why i'm knocking things off my to-do list. vitamin d, done! hand sanitizer, done! hey, eric! i'm here for my flu shot. sorry, didn't make an appointment. well, you don't need one. whether it's flu shots or prescriptions, we continue to accept express scripts and medco plans. i'm bonnie, and this is my cvs.

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♪ whatcha got there, richard? they're for show & tell. wasn't that yesterday? yup, but the class wants me to do it again. [ male announcer ] tim and richard smucker learned early on just how irresistible their jam really is. so how'd it go today, richard? i shoulda brought more. [ male announcer ] for five generations, with a name like smucker's, it has to be good. back now at 7:42. a ninth death is being reported this morning in the nationwide meningitis outbreak linked to tainted steroid injections, and according to the cdc at many as 14,000 people may have received the contaminated medication.

dr. nancy snyderman is "today's" chief medical editor. these steroid injections are very, very common with people with back pain. >> as baby boomers get more back pain, it's common to have steroids injected as an epidural into the lower back, sometimes the higher back. people don't think twice about the safety of these steroids. they are commonly used. >> we've had eight or nine deaths. how significant is this? >> here's the problem. this is a fungal meningitis. it's not contagious one person to another like bacterial meningitis, but the symptoms come on slowly so you could have had your back injected a month or two ago and come on now with headache, fever, stiff neck, loss of stability, and you might think, well, wait a minute, i haven't done anything, and you might not put something that happened a month or two earlier together with these symptoms. therein lies the rub, so you have to get a spinal tap to see if this fungus is in your spinal fluid and then it's iv antibiotics sometimes for many months to treat it. >> but it is treatable? >> if not treated deadly.

>> let's talk about how this happened. this steroid was manufactured by a compounding pharmacy called new england compounding center. >> right. >> this is not the sort of pharmacy that i might walk into down the street. >> right. not the walgreens or cvs. these are pharmacies that make medications for doctors. let's say i want you to have a special antacid but a slightly different formulation and different flavor mixed with something. they will make it up for me for you. i use compounding pharmacies. all doctors do, but what's great about them is that they make small batches of tailored medication. however, they are not governed or watched over by the f-kay. they are looked at by states. this pharmacy was turning out batches of tens of thousands of vials of steroids. that's not to me a compounding pharmacy. they are now manufacturing, and i fear that they are going to give good compounding pharmacies a bad name, and i think it basically from their behavior so far, they are an outlier. >> they released a statement

after shutting down, basically recalling all of its products. on the website it says while there is no indication at this time of any contamination in other necc products, this recall is being taken as a precautionary measure n.light of this, i mean, how worried should patients be? >> look, if you have had any steroid injected into your back from june on, call your doctor. if you are a physician and you've injected steroids to somebody, call your patient. check and make sure that there is a transfer of information, and if you have a family member and have symptoms and may not put it all together, this is a time for the entire country to be on heightened alert. these numbers will go up before they go down. >> expect more cases. >> absolutely. >> we'll see you in a bit for the professionals. >> you got it. coming up next, how matthew mcconaughey went from this to this. his shocking transformation and the story behind, it right after this. here's my morning routine. gotta start the day off right.

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7:48 now. got a hollywood split that's catching a lot of people off guard, danny devito and rhea perlman calling it quits after 30 years of marriage. nbc's mara schiavocampo has more on this. mara, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. they met on broadway in 1970, moved in two weeks later, and the rest was history, but monday a rep for the couple said they are separating, the latest surprise in a series of celebrity splits this year. she was the wise-cracking cocktail waitress on "cheers." >> can i ask you a favor? >> what? >> reporter: he was "taxi's" nachy dispatcher. >> i got to go home and change my sheets. >> reporter: but far from the gritty characters they played on screen, danny devito and rhea perlman had what seemed like a happy marriage for three decades. >> by all accounts their marriage was happy. that's why this was such a surprise, married for 30 years, 40 years.

>> reporter: more endearing in real life than the couple they portrayed on "taxi." they also starred together in the 1996 kids movie "matilda" and in 2009 a live tour of devito's fx show "it's always sunny in philadelphia." >> this is gladys. i know she looks a lot like rhea perlman but she's gladys. >> reporter: behind the camrys the two founded jersey films whose movies include "pulp fiction" and "aaron brockovich" and this news comes amid the news of other breakups like al and tipper gore andtic robbins and susan sarandon. they were together for 40 years so why police now? >> people really go through phases when it comes to marriage. a couple can be very happy at one point of their married life and then later down the road are not quite as happy. sometimes they grow together or apart, or the marriage goes

through different phases, and they are feeling a sense of loss. >> they are funny people in real life. they are happy people. that always comes through no matter what they are playing. you're rooting for them. >> reporter: instead another hollywood ending that no one saw coming. devito and perlman have three grown children. exact details on the split are scarce and the couple's rep says no further statements will be made. matt. >> sad news. thank you very much. >> other celebrity news to look into. have you seen matthew mcconaughey lately? unrecognizable. lost a ton of weight. voted sexiest man alive. that's how we remain him in heavier days, shall we say. >> that's the poster you both have on the wall. >> he is a dreamboat then, but look at him now. lost 30 pounds, and apparently it's for his latest role "the dallas buyers club" and plays a patient with hiv so that's why all the weight loss. >> obviously a lot of actors have done this, lost weight, gained weight for roles, but

with him, he's what, 42 years old, as you mentioned. it does make him look dramatically different, not for the better in this role, and i would imagine though he'll be able to bounce back quickly after putting weight back on. >> look at tom hanks. >> as an actor putting the weight back on seems like that would be kind of a fun part of it. i could get into that. >> gorging yourself on milk shakes and stuff like that. >> yeah. >> get a room a shake shack and you call it a day. >> that sounds good. >> and you can probably win an oscar at the end of the day, too. >> a lot of actors who have gained and lost weight for the movies. just ahead, would you date someone with a health problem? we'll talk about that with the professionals. >> and "e.t.'s" elliot" all grown up after your local news. i was living with this all-over pain.

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. time for a check of the morning commute. lots of problems out there. >> if you are on the inner loop west side, this is an accident. they are blocking some lines. nine miles per hour. our live traffic backed up approaching reisterstown road. heavy delays on eastbound i-70. southbound 795 backed up prior to owings mills.

watch for an accident. further south, coming is down 100, catherine avenue and pasadena. update on 95 the south of the beltswtway. usual stuff to the 895 split. inner loop is still backed up from i-78 all the way up to reisterstown road. >> most of the rain is across the metro area. still some light rain out of annapolis. cecil county all the way towards denton. as for you have the biggest problems on the roads right now. 54 downtown, 49 at the airport, 48 degrees in kittens fell.

enters will be below average today. -- temperatures will be below average today.

snow. ♪ on top of the world >> 8:00 now on a drizzly tuesday morning. it's the 9th day of october, 2012. a little bit of rain. it is feeling like fall. a chill is in the air, and as we play our favorite song of the morning, does it have an alien feel in the air perhaps? >> you can say that. >> i'm glad you said that. because that leads us right to our clip. showing "e.t.," one of my favorite movies of all time. the 30th anniversary of that movie. >> how old when you when this came out? >> i think about 9, the exact same age of our guest this morning. henry thomas works played elliot who we love, and we eel talk to

him about the movie coming up. i suggest i could just recite every line from the movie. >> also ahead, today's professionals are here in the house, and one of the topics we'll be talking, the lack of civility in sports. >> what do you mean? >> in general. i mean, there were a couple of horrible incidents over the weekend. for example, that big hit on matt cassel, the quarterback of the chiefs, got cheered by the hometown fans for getting knocked out of the game, so we're going to be talking about that with the pros. also a local guidance counsellor who loses her job because some photos she took 17 years ago and are still online. >> all right. then on a lighter note, we want to remind you about a contest we're running which is called show us your moves today. you've seen us do some dancing. i'm sure you'd rather not have seen us do this, but -- >> play that one again. >> it's your turn now. we want you to go to today.com and send us a video of your best moves. the finalists will join us here

in new york on friday, october 26th, for a "today" danceoff. >> matt lauer, your wish has come true. >> i've been becking for this for years. >> having a dance party. >> because we call matt denny theriault. let's go inside. natalie is standing by with a check of the headlines. natalie. >> good morning, matt, esna and al. good morning, everyone. mitt romney has closed gap with president obama in a new national poll. the pew research center gives romney a slight lead among likely voters. both candidates are campaigning today in ohio. it's the last day for voter registration in that crucial battleground state. it's sentencing day for former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky, convicted of sexually abusing ten boys over a 15-year period. several of his victims are expected to address the court. sandusky faces a sentence of up to 400 years but does plan to appeal his conviction. in a jailhouse statement played on a penn state radio station last night, sandusky said in my

heart i know i did not do these alleged, disgusting acts. for the first time in its history, the united states does not have a protestant majority. a new study from the pew forum on religious and public life finds that the percentage of protestant adults has fallen to 48% and the number of americans who claim no religious affiliation has increased from 15% to 20% in the last five years. and now here's brian williams with a look at what's coming up tonight on "nbc nightly news." brian? >> hey, natalie, good morning. coming up tonight when we join you for "nightly news, what can always be the toughest moment dealing with adult parents, taking away the car keys. we have some advice from the experts on how to tell aging parents the time has come. that and more when we join you here tonight for "nightly news." natalie for now, back to you. >> thanks, brian. now for a look at what's trending, a quick roundup of what has you talking online. finally a glimpse of jennifer anniston's stunning engagement

ring two months after fiance justin thereau popped the question. some online critics say the ring which takes up about a third of jen's finger is just too big. actor john kusaik ran on stage for an '80s nostalgia at a peter gabriel concert this weekend. [ cheers and applause ] >> gabriel was about to sing "in your eyes." the boom box was a nod to cusack's role in "he'll say anything" when he holds up the boom box and actors re-enact the end of tight toit to see if jack could have climbed on to rose's life board if he had strapped rose's life jacket underneath. >> no matter how noble jack's intentions might have been,

sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. >> hang on, rose. >> with all we've learned i think jack's death was needless. >> rose and jack could have lived here. >> you guys are missing the point. the script said jack died. screwed up, the board was a tiny bit smaller but the dude is going down. >> director james cameron who still gets e-mails from "titanic" fans who says rose was selfish and jack was an idiot. we'd all like to change the ending. it's 8:05. let's go back outside with al with a check of the weather. >> some folks a little harsh. >> you think. >> my golly, my goodness. got some friends here. where are you guys from? >> syracuse. >> syracuse, new york, the big cuse. what's your name, young lady? >> macy. >> nice to see you. let's see what we've got. a little wet here in new york. pick city, little rock, arkansas, kark 4, sunny, mild,

72 degrees, not too bad. the rest of the weather, wet weather here in the east. we're looking at showers making their way across the great lakes with that cold front pushing through. we're also expecting to see some fairly nice weather in the pacific northwest. lots of sunshine. sunny skies through southern texas. hit or miss showers and the cold front down through southern florida and guys here from victor, new york. where is victor, new york? >> outside of rochester. >> all right. doing an upstate swing here. that's wha >> rain showers 32 wind down across the metro area. high temperatures in the upper fifties to low 60s. a little bit warmer

>> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> all right, al. thanks. coming up next, the respected high school guidance counsellor fired because of her past as a model. we'll talk about that with today's professionals right after this. you can't argue with nutrition you can see. great grains. great grains cereal starts whole and stays whole. see the seam? more processed flakes look nothing like natural grains. i'm eating what i know is better nutrition. mmmm. great grains. search great grains and see for yourself.

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hottest deadline, star jones, donny deutsch and dr. nancy snyderman. good morning, folks. >> nice to see you. >> we've known each other and my pet peeve is crassness and crudeness, hate t.two examples over the weekend in the world of sports. let's break it down. kansas city, chiefs quarterback, matt cassel having a tough year, okay. we know that. the fans are down on him. he takes a hit in the game on sunday. goes down on the field, hit to the head. he's down on the field for several minutes during which time the fans start cheering the fact that he's down because they know they are going to get a replacement. >> he wasn't just down. you could tell he was hurt. >> he was hurt. he was hit. they are cheering the injury. does this shock anyone? >> not since what we've actually become. i mean, we cheer bad behavior now. television has changed so much. we're a society of rudeness. it's okay to beat up on people on national television. this is like "the gladiators" now. >> come to the point where we cheer someone getting injured. >> just the last few weeks,

whether it's -- to bring in nicki minaj and mariah carey, i'm going to shoot the bitch if i had a gun to housewives snapping at each other, we're a thug culture, so why do we act crowd when a stadium of 50,000, probably many of them drunk or cheering. >> not everybody cheered, by the way. >> we've become a thug culture. >> i have a friend who took his 10-year-old to the opening at giants stadium and was so excited. he took his son home at halftime because the words that he heard and the beer that was being thrown. >> right. >> he said he was so embarrassed. his kids heard words they never heard before. no longer a family event. >> we are athletes, not gladiators this. isn't the roman coliseum. when you cheer somebody getting knocked out, i don't care who it is, it's sickening. it's 100% sick neng. i've never been so embarrassed in my life to play football than at that moment right there. >> i'm so glad he stood up, and

he also in that quote talked about tough economic times and that's an interesting time. the tougher economic times, the more we see of this horrible behavior. >> however, i applaud what he said, but it isn't often the players who get up and celebrate the most after they deliver a hit to someone. >> things over the last year and a half have changed things. players have respect for each other. this is a brutal sport. >> and he acknowledged the fact that he's actually probably not going to live as long as he would because he played the sport. >> got to get players to stop celebrating to deliver the blow that puts somebody down and the other incident was atlanta, the controversial call on the infield fly and fans start throwing bottles on the field. we've clearly crossed the line. how do we get people on the right side of the line? >> we stop rewarding bad behavior, don't sit down and interview them, don't make them

the celebrities. make people ashamed of inappropriate behave again. >> the owners, the fans, the players, all the way down. this is now a culture that is insidious. >> the only hope is at home. the media is not going to correct this. >> this top sick obesity, a controversial new campaign to fight it. here is one of the spots in question. >> you know my dad can eat three huge bacon cheeseburgers this big. >> that's like a snack for my dad. >> he also ate a mountain of french fries. >> my dad can eat a mountain of french fries with bacon and cheese. >> yeah, well, my dad can eat five buckets of fried chicken. >> my dad can eat 1,000 chicken nuggets. >> my dad with eat a quadrupleburger. >> my dad can eat 500 corn dogs. one day i'll be able to twice that. >> now critics of this say that it is negative, condescending and that they use shame to get the message across. nancy, why don't you start. >> i in the past have said these

aren't good because they shame the kids. i'm reversing on this one. i think they are good because they go to the parent, and i know shame doesn't work and reward does. i think it's a very poignant psa. >> i disagree completely. i'm for any shock value in a psa. the problem with this would be like showing a cigarette smoker smoking, you have to show the effect. >> we have. >> you want to send a message for parents that maybe you wouldn't be there in that cafeteria. to just say you're fat, the kid's fat, they know they are heavy already. there needs to be cause and effect. >> so if he were in the operating room with his chest cracked open and they were operating on him. >> and his kids are crying in the waiting room, yes, that's different. >> is it effective, star? >> absolutely, and i can tell you why. being obese there are several different ways to approach it. it's scared straight for me. i was ashamed, and if i didn't get it thrown in my face it never would have worked. >> what was the tipping point while you did something? >> the thought that i would be found morbidly obese on my floor having a stroke.

>> that's my point, though. >> that's the point. the health factor. >> the life and death aspect of it. >> stigma is okay, shame is not. that's stigmatizing. >> i'm in the business of persuasion. >> i don't care what business you're in. >> what do you mean, like you're saying a doctor and give a prescription saying you don't care. i don't have medical opinions. i'm just telling you -- >> as a consumer this works. >> let me move on. welcome back, matt. in sickness and in health, a new poll shows that 60% of adults would not, i repeat works not date someone with a health problem, and that number goes up as we get older. 66% of retirees say they wouldn't date someone with a health problem. they surprise you anybody, these numbers? >> no. >> i think it's the degree. somebody who has a terminal disease, i think the average person probably, unfortunately, wouldn't jump in, but, you know, a bad hip, different things, you know, also depends on your nature. to me, sometimes it will sound

corny, if i meet somebody they have an issue and i have a saving complex, but it can be an issue. >> not talking about dumping someone you're involved with if you have a health problem with, talking about starting a relationship. >> if you sit down across from the table and they said you have terminal illness, that's somebody would you not go out with. >> doesn't have to be terminal. it can be, by the way, i have some heart problems. >> okay. >> and then they would not -- >> i'm in trouble. >> we're genetically pre-disposed, but if you've seen the list, donny's women have to sign out after the physical, it's unbelievable. nobody can pass the test. >> nancy -- >> you know what? >> that's a "saturday night live" bit, by the way. >> i've been rewarded with the greatest compliment. >> as young people we're supposed to have civility. >> thanks for having. >> "saturday night live" routine, guys. trust me. >> how about this one from new york city. a well-respected guidance counsellor in the schools here fired after 12 years with the department of education because

of photos she took between 17 and 20 years ago when she was 18 to 20 years old that are revealing. they are in lingerie, bikinis, and she was, here's the picture right here. >> yeah. >> she was fired today because of those photos. she stopped modeling some 12 years ago. should she have been fired? >> no, and wrongful termination she has an excellent claim from. from what i understand from the facts, she disclosed the fact that she was a mold before she took the job. there's not been any incident involving her inappropriately with a child. she's been doing her job. i think she's got a great case for wrongful termination. >> and as donny would say she looks hot. >> the internet is not written in pencil, written in ink what. goes on there comes back to haunt you. >> to your point, we won't have anybody working anywhere -- this is going to be price of entry for everything. >> okay. >> but it's a reminder to your children now, kids, everything

you put out there 15 years from now that you'll forget about, kaboom. >> nancy will have less caffein tomorrow. >> couples counseling here. donny, star, nancy, thanks. coming up, the guy who played elliot in the classic movie "e.t." all grown up. we'll catch up with him 30 years after that movie came out right after this. [ ding dong ] hey -- little m&m's! wow! great costumes. what are you guys -- like four or five?

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>> phone. >> he said phone. >> he said phone! >> e.t. phone home. >> e.t. phone home. >> e.t. phone home. >> well, now, e.t. has been digitally remastered. it's available in a special 30th anniversary blu-ray dd. henry thomas, as you know, played elliot. good morning. >> good morning. thanks for having me. >> can you believe it's been 30 years? >> no, i can't, and i -- i would never have imagined that 3 years ago, you know, i would be talking about it today. >> well, my 9-year-old self is so thrilled to be sitting with you. i can't watch the end without crying. can you? >> it chokes me up, i admit. i'm caught on film being choked up for the rest of my life, so -- >> you had to go through an

audition, of course, to get this role. how did you get the part? there must have been so many boys lined up to get it. >> you know, it was interesting. the first film that i did was a universal film, and the editing bays were next door to each other, so steven spielberg knew about me, and universal brought me out to meet him and, of course, hi seen "raiders of the lost ark" and came to the meeting with a bull whip on myself, and i just wanted to talk about harrison ford and indiana jones, and he said i want you to come in tomorrow and i want you to read for me. i go in and i read a scene and i did an improv, and you can actually find my audition on youtube and watch it, and it's the improv that got me the -- the part. it's the only part in my career that i knew i had before i left the audition room because you can hear it on -- on the audition. i finished my -- my scene, and they are in tears and i'm in

tears, and i said -- steven says, kid, you've got the job. i keep waiting for that to happen again. >> well, it was, of course, a high point. drew barrymore, just talking about it, was so darn cute. >> i know. >> and as i understand it, she kind of believed e.t. was real. i mean, she was at that age. >> yeah. she was around 7, and the veil hadn't quite been lifted yet, so she was really worried about him all the time. why doesn't he eat lunch with us? what's he doing? he's cold, you know, would wrap a scarf around his neck. yeah, she was super cute. >> what's it been like to be part of a movie that isn't just a successful movie? it is a cultural phenomenon. >> well, it's strange because, you know, you -- you go off for a couple of months as a 9-year-old, and you make this film, and then it takes on a totally different life of its own afterwards, and, you know, everyone has such fond memories

of it, and you just feel a responsibility towards, it i think. >> well, henry thomas, we loved you then, and we love you now. so great to have you here. and, again, the 30th anniversary >> this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am sarah caldwell. major accident we're tracking right now. and overturned tanker there is apparently leaking fuel. major cleanup and they're under way. we have some delays still in place on the outer loop, the northwest corner of the beltway. no traffic very heavy due to an

accident. we also have delays that we're holding on to on eastbound i-70. northbound 29 and 108, watch for crash on howard county. major delays in the pasadena area. ava has a check of your forecast. >> madpretty messy on the roads. although the rain has ended, the roads are still wide. clearing off of the bay bridge, but still tracking to the shores. fortunately, we are driving out as we go through the rest of the day. 54 downtown, 49 at b.w.i. and

catonsville of 49 degrees. upper fifties to low 60's, chilly but dry. we warm up to 70. cooler again on thursday.

it's 8:30 now on a tuesday morning. it's the 9th day of october, 2012. kind of a drizzly morning here in the new york city area. a little chilly as well, but we've got a nice crowd of people gathered, and they are listening to the music of the scripts. we've got the irish band coming up in studio in our next half

hour. >> out on the plaza, we're starring in an edition of "honey i shrunk the kids" where we're here and we'll explain the table and shares in just a moment. >> something hilarious about sitting here. anyway, coming up, all remember the replacement refs in the nfl. in a tough position facing a lot of pressure and not a lot of appreciation, shall we say. one of them will join us a little bit later on to tell us about how it was to have that call, the game-deciding touchdown call, and all the fallout after that. >> you think he got a little attention from that call? >> just a little. the kind you don't want. >> okay. then also how to get stylish fall runway looks for a lot, lot less and how to do the trends just right. >> and later, remember the little boy we met last year. he said he's been to heaven after a near death experience. well, his books have generated major sales and a huge response. this morning we'll catch up with him and his parents. all right. before we get to that. let's explain the huge table and

huge chairs and big plates and things like that. >> big fork. >> nbc's third annual healthy week is in full swing. this year the focus is on five different things, hydration, getting more sleep, taking five during your workday, recess and this one, portion control. >> yes. okay. this is our very subtle reminder that actually in the past several years plate sizes have increased more than 35%, and it actually makes a huge difference, and it contributes to more calorie consumption and, of course, we know, we have an obesity epidemic so our table is here to shed a light on the small plate movement. >> did you know swapping out this 30-inch plate, actually a 12-inch plate for a 10-inch plate, you can lose about 18 pounds a year. that is an unbelievable figure when you think about it. for more on that as well as our healthy tips, just head to our website today.com. >> all right. >> thanks, guys, for offering us the envelopes. >> the guys had the umbrellas.

>> you guys have raincoats on. >> oh, all right. >> we can do the weather. >> and remember, when you get to a fork in the road. >> come on. >> okay. anyway, let's see what we've got as far as your weather is concerned for today. we're expecting plenty of sunshine out west. it's going to be fairly warm. in fact, above normal temperatures through the southwest. cooler than normal and wet here in the northeast, and chilly conditions in the great lakes. we're going to continue those chilly conditions with some showers and snow showers through the great lakes tomorrow. another beautiful day in the pacific northwest. nice mild conditions. sunshine through the gulf coast. i feel like the lily tomlin character, how are you? thu? >> waking up to the wet weather. most of that should clear out. mostly cloudy skies.

>> don't forget. get that weather any time you neath need it. go to the weather channel on cable or weather.com online. he's got a knife! uncle willy. >> hey, it's almost a year now, but happy birthday to oreo cookies, glass of cold milk. chocolate cookies with a white dot in the middle. 100 years old. how about that. happy birthday, speaking of smuckers. let's go into our birthday mode. take a look at joe "beautiful" harryman, saratoga wyoming, 100 years old. secrets to longevity, loves to fish and an occasional bourbon. how about that.

the fish like scotch. margot freudenberg, charleston, south, rhett butler's hometown. 105 years old. found the hope lodge to help people with cancer and their families. how about old griffin, i like that name, a masculine name. griffin muse, and he is from paincourtville, louisiana, 102 years old today and proud to be head and deacon of his church. they love him down there. beth sollows of deland, florida, is 108 years old, talented musician. plays piano and violin but not at the same time. edward hoffman from canton, massachusetts, 107. involved with the boy scouts and loves being outdoors. lovely margaret browne, philadelphia, pennsylvania, is 100 years old today.

secret to longevity, try to do something naughty every day. we have a group around here who does that. and rose izzo of nesconset, new york, is 100. loves playing cards and crocheting for her family. happy birthday. back to you in new york. >> all right, willard, thanks. i don't need an umbrella. i've got this giant table. >> very nice. >> can we show everybody what you just did to me a couple moments ago. sitting there waiting for my tease. >> i was standing behind you for about 45 seconds and the crowd is laughing. >> and everyone is gathering and looking at me. why are they staring over here. >> i was actually touching you. >> you must be numb. >> real observant, a real important quality in a reporter. anyway, coming up. we'll talk to one of those replacement referees who made that controversial call. good. i'm glad you enjoyed it, but first, this is "today" on nbc. hey, what are you drinkin'? pumpkin coffee for the morning.

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♪ >> back now at 8:38 with one of the men at the center of firestorm over the use in the nfl of replacement officials. lance easley made the controversial touchdown call that decided a monday night game between seattle and green bay, and many say it helped lead to the end of the regular referee lockout. lance easley, good morning, good to see you >> good morning. >> anything new and interesting happen in your own life over the last several weeks? >> oh, yeah, a lot of things. >> take me back to the moment. it's the final play of the game monday night. here comes the hail mary pass. you are right there. you are in position. you look down and you're standing there with your hands in the hair signaling touchdown. what was the moment like? >> it's bedlam at the end of a game like that, especially on "monday night football." seattle is a great venue, very, very loud if you've never been there and seen an event. it was -- it went completely chaotic afterwards and i had to

get in there and separate everybody. >> you've now seen the play how many times? >> too many. >> 100 times. >> probably. it's on tv every day. >> did you make the right call? >> yes. >> you absolutely stand by this call? every sports writer i've talked to has said no. one sports writer on the show saying the worst call he's ever seen in the nfl. >> well, until they change the rule i can't do anything about the call. >> i watched, it lance, and you know what i thought, and you can just dispel that right now. i think you looked down and saw the other referee's arm go up and he's about to signal touchdown, i'm putting my hands up and then you looked up and said uh-oh, he signaled touchback. >> no, that's not what happened. >> it didn't happen. >> he didn't signal touchback. he signaled stop clock which in his opinion would give us time to discuss it. however, it was my call because it was in my primary area. i had to bring that play all the way to the ground and take the whole play. >> do you feel vindicated because let's remind people this call was upheld after review.

so in your opinion does this mean you did it right, or is there anything you would have done differently? >> nothing, except that players wished they would have batted the ball out of bounds and not had the play happen. >> can you imagine had you made that call not in seattle but in green bay, wisconsin, and it cost the packers the game at the end of the game. what do you think the reaction would have been in green bay? >> probably a little bit different. instead of sleepless in seattle, i would have been sleepless in green bay. >> you talk about sleepless. we get to the end of the season and the packers hypothetically speaking here miss the playoffs by one game. you have no second thoughts or reservations whatsoever? >> no. not at all. >> do you think that indirectly your call, again, you stand by this call and say it was the right call, but do you think indirectly you should take some credit for getting the regular referees back on the field? >> well, i think it was pretty

much resolved before that issue. it kind of was an exclamation point on the whole deal and the controversy and the play, it's never happened in the history of the nfl, that play. you can go back through the archives. will you not find that play. >> let's just tell people you are a bank vice president, right? >> yes, i am. >> you referee junior college games on the weekend so kind of like a side life for you. >> exactly, as for most officials. >> so were you qualified to be in that situation, that pressure-packed situation on a monday night in seattle at that final play? >> i've been working as an official many, many years. i worked hard in the nfl training and we did the best job that we could given the circumstances so that's all i can say. >> lance easley, he stands by that call. lance, it's good of you to show up this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. >> up next from football to fashion, where to find the hottest runway looks for a little bit less, but first this is "today" on nbc. barnhill: you hear a lot of talk about question seven...

so let me tell you what i know: if question seven passes, my company's going to... bring table games, like blackjack and poker... right here to baltimore. a twenty-five million dollar investment... that'll create five hundred new jobs. all right here. today, marylanders are spending $500 million gaming... in other states. let's keep it here. i'm chad barnhill, and we're ready to build right here. we're ready, and it's real. and all that has to happen... is question seven.

back now at 8:45. this morning on "today's style," the perfect fall look at the right price. a "today" contributor and marie claire editor found some of the best runway trends at department store prices. sounds good to us. >> it's good. >> we love to look at the fashions on the runway, but can you really pull them off and do it on a budget price? >> absolutely. you know what the great news is? the most relatable and wearable trends on the runway always trickle down to the mass market, so it's just a matter of seeing what you like on the runway, seeing them in the magazines and going out and recreating it. >> we'll show folks how you did that. the first look you like from the runway is a military look. >> you say military with a twist. >> absolutely. >> military resurfaces every single season and the reason

being, it's so product call and so easy to insert into your look. this is a little bit more fun, not the cargos or the kamo, a bit more glam. >> here we have michelle modeling a look. how did you get this suit down to our level, shall we say? >> this is a $59.99 from mango as opposed to the version on the runway which is around $3,000 so it's 50 times more expensive, and it's just a really easy tract and three trends in one, red, a big breakout color for fall. great silhouette which is a statement coat, again, a big trend and obviously military details with the gold buttons. >> looks really cute with the booties. >> i guess you could do tall if you wanted to. >> any kind of beaute. dressed down with a tight and a flat boot. >> michelle, thank you. next look is velvet. tell us what you saw on the runway. >> a lot of velvet on the runway, less of the heavy gowns and more about fresh separates, chanel, gucci.

>> and now we have miss lauren who is rocking a lovely velvet blazer. >> this is j. crew, so cute and the way to keep it fresh is by wearing it with denim fabrics, denim, cotton, white and black. >> pretty jewel tone. looks very, very cute. >> probably can wear that blazer with jeans if she wanted to. >> absolutely, with anything. >> thanks, lauren. the next look is a pencil skirt but with a different look. what did you see on the runway? >> seeing a pencil skirt with a twist. this is a new twist, and it's from status, a new word in fashion vacab. this works for everyone. it's a great lens, and here we fit it with a jacket because sometimes it's quite useful so with a suit jacket, a suit always reads a little bit more older and sophisticated. >> a pencil skirt is what makes it pencilling, the fact that it's fitted around the waist. >> wear it on the waist. the skiniest part of your body, always wear the waist.

>> thank you so much. our next trend sweater dressing. let's show it on the runway. >> sweater dressing big on the runway. saw a great look. super easy to recreate and sweaters are perfect for a kay like today. >> here comes rosa. >> tell us about this look. sweaters are great to dress up. we wore this with great pants and the idea about sweater dressing is to dress up, glam up, so wear it an evening heel, cute little hat. lacks adorable. >> that sweater is nice and fitted because you don't necessarily want to do the big chunky sweater. >> exactly. start layering and end up too bulky. this is a medium weight which is perfect. keeps you warm enough without the coat. >> that hat looks really warm. hand that over, rosa. just kidding, and our final look, brocade big on the runways. >> it's a big trend that just needs a lot of embellishment. we found an alternative version here of pop shop for '72 and in

comparison to the look we saw on the runway which was actually $35,000. >> oh, come on. >> i know. >> that's an iq test. this is a great version from top shop. no accessories needed. simple. let the dress do the talking. >> it does do the talking. >> thank you so much to our models. >> thank you so much. >> and coming up next, a live performance from the hit band the script as i touch that brocade. >> thank you. gecko (clearing throat) thank you, mr. speaker, uh, members of congress. in celebration of over 75 years of our government employees insurance company, or geico...as most of you know it. ...i propose savings for everyone!

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after two very successful albums the script could have stuck with what works with you instead the irish rockers have created what they are calling their most personal and professional album today appropriately called "number 3." welcome back. good to see you all. always a pleasure. last time we got together we were at olympic park in london. >> that's right. >> you put on a show for the people there in london. after the show you said to me we'll call you afterwards and we'll go hang at a pub. you never called. >> you have a run etation. >> i have a feeling i would have been in trouble if i hung out with you guys. >> i'm surprised they let you

back over. >> had a feeling. >> what have you guys been up to the last couple of month? >> promoting the album and being a coach on the uk version of "the voice" as well and just promoting the album. it just came out back home as well. we're -- as i said, it's our album number three and we're still rocking and rolling. we how the it made it after the first album and here we are at number three. >> you're in dublin and did a sing along in the streets which had to be a lot of fun. >> great. >> massive fun. >> have a tradition back home called busking and a lot of buskers will be taking off the street. that's how we'll talk about it. we said we'll gather 40 of our closest busking friends. can you see it on the tv. >> that's great. >> police came on and tried to move us along, and it was a great day. >> i am smart that i didn't hang out with you guys. one of the songs on the album is especially personal. >> yeah. >> about the death and the loss of loved one. >> yeah. >> we wrote a song called if you could see me now, a hugely

personal song to us. i guess something in myself and danny had lost parents through making our first album, something we've never dealt, and it was -- it seemed like the appropriate song. >> well, let me tell you. love having you guys here. >> thank you so much. >> back on our turf a little while. what are you going to sing? >> hall of fame, the brand new single. >> ladies and gentlemen, the script. ♪ >> this song is about ordinary lyrics doing extraordinary things. ♪ yeah, you can be the greatest, you can be the best ♪ ♪ you can be the king kong banging on your chest ♪ ♪ you could be the best the world ♪ ♪ you could beat the war ♪ you could talk to god, go banging on his door ♪ ♪ you can throw your hands up ♪ you can be the clock ♪ you can move a mountain

♪ you can break rocks ♪ you can be a master ♪ don't wait for luck dedicate yourself and you can find yourself ♪ ♪ standing in the hall of fame and the world's gonna know your name ♪ ♪ cause you burn with the brightest flame ♪ ♪ and the world's gonna know your name sennerholt ♪ and you'll be the one on the walls of the hall of fame ♪ ♪ you could go the distance ♪ you could run the smile ♪ you could walk straight through the hell with a smile ♪ ♪ you could be the hero ♪ you could get the gold ♪ breaking all the records that thought never could be broke ♪ ♪ do it for your people ♪ do it for your pride ♪ never gonna know if you never even try ♪ ♪ do it for your country ♪ do it for your name ♪ cause there's gonna be a day

♪ when you're standing in the hall of fame ♪ and the world's gonna know your name ♪ ♪ cause you burn with the bright flame ♪ ♪ and the world's gonna know your name ♪ ♪ and you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame ♪ ♪ be a champion ♪ yes, you could be the champion ♪ ♪ be a champion sennerholt. >> be students, be teachers be politicians, be preachers ♪ ♪ be believers, be leaders, be astronauts, be champions, be true seekers ♪ ♪ be students, be teachers ♪ yeah. ♪ be politicians, be breechers ♪ standing in the hall of fame, yeah ♪ ♪ and the world's gonna know your name ♪ ♪ cause you burn with the brightest flame ♪ ♪ and the world's gonna know

your name ♪ ♪ your name, yeah, your name ♪ and you'll be on the walls of the hall of fame ♪ ♪ you could be the greatest, be the best ♪ ♪ you be can the king kong banging on your chest ♪ ♪ you could beat the world ♪ can you throw your hands up you can be the clock ♪ ♪ you can move a mountain ♪ you can be a champion ♪ standing in the hall of fame ♪ yeah ♪ you can be a champion ♪ you can be ae >> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. the embattled state delegate tiffany alston stand trial on charges that she used campaign funds to cover her wedding expenses. she was found guilty in june of misdemeanor theft and misconduct

after she reportedly used state funding to pay an employee of her

>> rain iending and we stayed mostly cloudy throughout the day. we warm up to 72 mar. shower possible by the evening. 68 on friday. >> we